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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. root — the cause
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chair — a leader
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chest — of your body
  8. root — of a plant
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chest — a box
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. game — a match
  15. kick — in football
  16. ground — crushed
  17. root — of a word
  18. bound — certain
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com